THE JONESES ARE PROBABLY BROKE: 4 WAYS TO STAY AWAY FROM "THEY"

"Keeping Up with the Joneses" has been the foundation of many financial woes, big or small, for many of us. For some reason, when a friend walks in the room with the latest fashion or arrives to an event in the newest Mercedes, we instantly devalue our accomplishments.

We sometimes feel inferior to that person due to their recent purchase and follow the slippery slope of debt accumulation. The first mistake includes a conscious thought to yourself saying, "I'm going to show them I can afford the newest clothes and car too." The second mistake begins when you turn your thoughts into actions. You may decide to use debt or money intended for other resources to buy items that aren't considered necessities. The part that people fail to evaluate is HOW their friend acquired those new possessions. The friend could have planned to purchase new products by properly budgeting or maybe he or she went into debt to obtain them. Either way, you should review your finances before making any purchases, more specifically purchases that warrants the approval of peers. After making two huge mistakes, you're in a terrible position because of poor decision making. Impulsive purchases can completely derail your financial train after you've been successfully chugging along. Moreover, you can have everything the Joneses have INCLUDING their mountain of debt. You'll find out the hard way that in some cases "the Joneses" were living paycheck to paycheck and possibly one check away from poverty. Some people will even go to the extent of acquiring fraudulent products to appear important. I believe that God will have a hard time blessing you if you're aiming to be someone else. Therefore, here are 4 ways to stay away from THEY and the associated debt.

Set your own money goals

Every life is unique and customized to each individual. How can unique goals be generated for your life, if you're busy trying to be another person? You are essentially putting your life on hold when you chase aspirations that align with the life of someone else. This action will have a very detrimental effect on your life financially. You can't spend the same as "the Joneses", who possibly has a trust fund, if your financial picture does not look the same.

Set YOUR OWN money goals based off of YOUR tax bracket. You have to stay focused and "act your wage". Stay in YOUR lane.

Priorities

Even if you you happen to have the wealth to "ball out" by purchasing a new car like your friend, was that in your plan? A big issue that we deal with is not prioritizing where our money is going. A big percentage of americans are truly broke and depressed, yet we are buying $5 cappuccinos and standing in lines for Yeezys. This leads to a state of ignorance when it comes to even our own bank accounts. You get to the end of the month with bills left and no money to pay them. What's worse is that, due to disorganization, you're not able to figure out why you ran out of cash. I've heard stories about people spending their rent or bill money on the newest fashion trend to realize that the money they spent was intended for another purpose. You better keep that receipt (lol).

The best way to prevent this is to have a monthly budget and assign a specific duty to EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR. Don't allow emotional impulse to result in the involuntarily rearrangement of your financial priorities.

Stop comparing

Comparing your life to the life of others is a sure trip to a meeting with jealousy. Comparisons also result in a false sense of self worth. Be comfortable and confident in your situation. You're not less of a person because you are not driving a certain car or wearing certain types of clothing. Don't allow these shallow standards of measuring a person's worth define you. A great example of this is Mark Zuckerberg, who wears an exact copy of the same t-shirt to work everyday. His clothes don't give an indication of his wealth and neither should yours.

Evaluate Motive

Many of us actually have the money to buy certain things that our friends have. However, I hope that is not your sole reason for purchasing them. Before you buy something, evaluate the WHY for the purchase. Make sure it does not involve motivation from a place of jealousy, comparison or lack of self worth. Your motive for purchasing something should be from your mind and heart, knowing you did it to satisfy your own desires and not others.

---

Set your own money goals and prioritize them with a detailed monthly budget. Stick to those goals by not comparing yourself to others. Your motive for your financial investments should be just that, YOUR MOTIVE.

---

HEBREWS 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 SAMUEL 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”